Silver says he will continue push for Millionaire’s Tax

Assem Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver said this morning he will renew his call for a tax on the state’s wealthiest earners, a push that has met stiff opposition from Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Senate Republicans.

Appearing on Talk 1300-AM in Albany, host Fred Dicker asked Silver, D-Manhattan, if he anticipated any new taxes when the Legislature returns to Albany in January.

“I still think we should not allow people making more than $1 million to have the benefit of a tax cut,” Silver said.

The so-called Millionaire’s Tax was at the center of a heated debate during this year’s budget process, with Democrats in the Assembly and Senate pushing for the extension of a tax on those making more than $250,000 annually, which is set to expire at the end of the year.

Cuomo, citing his campaign promise of a budget with no new tax hikes, was determined to let it expire, as were Republicans in both houses.

The governor, a Democrat, has since backed President Obama’s push for a federal tax on the nation’s top earners, but has stressed that the situation is different at the state and federal level.

“If I raise taxes, I’m in a running race every day with Connecticut and Jersey and other states,” Cuomo said yesterday on Dicker’s show. “If I raise my taxes, they can move 20 minutes away in some directions and I’m hemorrhaging from the borders. That’s not true federally.”

Meanwhile, Silver reiterated his support for a constitutional amendment that would legalize casino gaming in certain New York “resort areas.”

“I think it’s possible. I’m not a big proponent of gambling, but the fact is that New Yorkers go to New Jersey, they go to Connecticut, they go to Pennsylvania, Massachusetts is now moving toward approving it,” Silver said. “We might as well keep our New York dollars in New York and bolster some of our resort areas.”

Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos, R-Nassau County, has expressed support for a constitutional amendment, which would require the approval of consecutive Legislatures and a public vote. Cuomo’s office has been reviewing the issue and is expected to reveal its position in January, when the Legislature is scheduled to return to Albany.